@Chlidonias That's what the collection claims they are, supposedly they were imported a few years ago. There is a reason they're not on ztl I think, which @TeaLovingDave can explain more than I.
They also imported Brazilian Guineapigs from Uruguay a year or so before these came in so clearly they're not opposed to spending resources on Cavia species.
Why is this not Cavia magna, the hindfeet look somewhat webbed and in terms of colour it looks exactly like them. C. tschudii is very variable in colour, from reddish brown to gray-blackish, but this isn't exactly gray-blackish.
These might not actually be Montane of course, I'm just saying that's what the zoo calls them and TLD confirmed that he'd heard they'd imported some. I wouldn't think these are magna, though, as it'd be bizarre for a zoo that specializes in odd small mammals to display them in two separate areas but label them as different species.
@Chlidonias I think it's not on ztl because the admins just don't believe it, though I'm waiting for TLD to explain why (if he knows).
ZTL is a great source but they certainly are odd like that sometimes. I know they refused to believe that the Southern Talapoin at Palmitos Park was there for years and deleted every attempt to add them. Additionally I understand that there are various confiscated primate species at primate rescue centers that aren't listed on ztl simply because they don't believe that they are what they are for one reason or another.
Obviously that doesn't mean they're wrong here, but it wouldn't be the first time.
I think it's not on ztl because the admins just don't believe it, though I'm waiting for TLD to explain why (if he knows).
Just as simple as that, I think - they don't believe they are really tschudi but as Thylo notes they have their moments of inaccuracy; for instance, it took about four cycles of adding the Southern Talapoin and having it removed again (all on the basis that everyone knows the species is gone from European collections) before I was able to get them to acknowledge that if the individual in question has been photographed that rather counteracts "what everyone knows".... and they still haven't done anything about the individuals who keep deleting species from UK collections on the basis they aren't listed on the zoo websites or were not on-show when the individuals in question visited, even though I have explicitly told them (in person!) who at least one of these individuals is.
Moreover, for several years the ZTL entry for Mountain Viscacha listed the species as having departed Hamerton a year before they actually did it took me posting a photograph of the species which I had taken about 9 months after they allegedly left, and linking it to the ZTL admin, before they ceased to revert any attempt to fix the error.
